The Story of Sam
by CaptainS10
Summary: As the title implies, this is the story behind Samantha Short. A short one-shot on how she came to be; hopefully this clears that up a little better. More details inside!


**Okay, I had a few specific requests for this, so here it is: the story behind Samantha! Before I get into this, a few things to notice: one, I changed who Sam is. I know in my original History Repeats, Sam isn't Holly's biological daughter. In the new one, she is. However, there are reasons behind it, so don't yell at me! I know some people wanted some ArtyIII/Samantha romance, which there won't be now, since I'm changing it, however, I will still try to add some sweet moments in there, so you all won't be completely at loss! :D **

_A year after Artemis and Holly's 'break up':_

"Are you sure about this, Holly?" Foaly asked quietly. "It's not too late to change your mind, you know."

Foaly and Holly were walking down the hospital's hallways in Haven, on the way to her appointment. She had recently made a very drastic decision, which would affect the rest of her life... and she had to come here to get confirmed for it.

"I am absolutely sure about this, Foaly," Holly sighed, turning to look at him. Her eyes reflected her deep sadness, and the loneliness that had lingered there for some time now - since she and Artemis had stopped seeing each other for good. But there was also that little spark of hope, and determination, that said despite how gloomy she was usually feeling, she was still okay.

"I... I just can't be alone any longer, Foaly. With him gone... it's killing me. Especially after what happened with the baby. I can't take it anymore."

"But are you sure this is the best road to take?" the centaur persisted. "I mean... are you sure you want to do this, at least with this route? And why are you insisting on using Artemis's genetics? All this is going to do it hurt you, Holly. You know it, and so do I."

"It might be painful," Holly admitted. "But I'm ready for it. I can handle it, Foaly. And if I use Artemis's genetics, then it's still his kid. If we ever get the chance to get back together, then I don't want to have him adopt it or something. And it's more than that... I want it to be his, for me. Then, I'll finally have more than just my memories to connect me to him." She paused, looking up at her half-horse friend. "Trust me, this may be painful at first, but I'll get used to it.. and in the end, it will be worth it."

"If you're sure," Foaly said, still not convinced completely, but knowing better than to argue further. Holly's mind was obviously set; there was no changing it now.

They had arrived at their destination by this point, and they both went in and sat down. Holly climbed up on the table and sat there quietly from that point. She counted the ceiling tiles quietly while Foaly looked around and admired all the technology in the room. Most of it was his own inventions, after all... (no surprises there.)

It didn't take long for the doctor to come in; there was only one person ahead of them. They were only in there for maybe a total of ten minutes before a soft knock sounded and the door opened.

The doctor slipped in silently, looking down at Holly's paperwork in his hand as he entered. He didn't look up from it until he had made it across the room and sat down. Then he looked up at Holly with a sigh, and asked the same sort of questions Foaly had before.

"Miss Short, are you sure about this?" the elf asked, leaning forward and looking up at Holly. "This is not a reversible decision, you know. I understand not wanting to be lonely, but still... this is a huge responsibility, especially for a single woman with such an unpredictable job. I would be concerned for many things... and I do not quite understand the whole purpose of your insistence about the father's genetics; he cannot be there for you this time, and even if he could, would he? Would he approve of this?"

Holly looked away and said quietly, "Artemis won't know, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. If he thought it would make me happy... he would have done anything to make me happy. I'm sure of that. And so I think he would, even if that factor wasn't included. He wanted a child."

The doctor sighed and nodded. "Alright, Miss Short. If you truly believe that, then I will too." He paused, then said, "when would you like to do it?"

Holly looked up and cocked her head to the side, seeming to think about it. "How soon can you do it?"

"I'd have to check to be able to give you a definite answer to that question."

"Please do, then." The doctor nodded, getting up and walking out of the room. Foaly looked at his friend again. "What?" she demanded. The centaur just shook his head and looked back down. "Foaly, if you-"

She stopped abruptly as the door opened again. "I have an opening of February 15th, if that works for you," the doctor announced as he reentered the room.

Holly nodded. "I can call off work that day," she agreed.

"It's settled, then," he announced. "Come back February 15th, and we'll do the surgery. I have all the details written down here, so I'll send them in and get it confirmed."

Holly beamed. "Thanks, Doctor," she said, shaking his hand once. Then she looked at Foaly. "Let's get out of here."

Holly Short's future was decided. On February 15th, she would have the surgery that would make her a mother... and this time, of a live child.

**There it is! I'm sure you can all guess what happens from there, and all that. I contemplated making this a two-shot, and I suppose I could, if enough people ask. But I think this should clear up enough, and I would be using up time on this instead of HR.. plus, it would just most likely be the next appointment and the birth; pointless stuff, in my opinion. But still, let me know if you really think I should! And please, R&R either way!**


End file.
